City Council

Page 885 CITY OF CARUTHERSVILLE April 7, 2025 Be it remembered the Council of the City of Caruthersville met in regular session on Monday April 7, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. in the Council room of the Municipal Building at which time and place the following were present: Sue Grantham Mayor Takella Motton City Clerk Lawrence Dorroh City Counselor Jerry Hudgens Sergeant at Arms Grable Councilperson Hood Councilperson Spence (Absent) Councilperson Robinson Councilperson Glass Councilperson Bullington Councilperson Lyons (Absent) Councilperson Fales Councilperson The number of members necessary to consider a quorum being present, the Mayor called the meeting to order and announced the meeting was in session for the transaction of business. The first order of business was the approval of the regular session minutes of March 17, 2025. Councilperson Hood, motion for approval, second by Councilperson Robinson with all in favor. Councilperson Robinson motion for approval of the closed session minutes of March 17, 2025 second by Councilperson Glass with all in favor. Councilperson Hood motion for approval of reports and bills, second by Councilperson Bullington with all in favor. Mayor Grantham introduced Danny and Cario from Waste Pro. Danny started off by saying that the issues with the grapple truck was compounded by not having the transfer station open. Instead of making three trips a day, now it’s only one trip to Mississippi County. The limbs are gathered up first, and dumped here at the limb pile, and then the rest of the trash is picked up, not including the regular trash. The trucks are ran until they’re packed out; they’ve different things, and this seems to the best of the outcomes. The regular trash runs are mapped out, and sometimes they have to run on Fridays, Saturdays if there’s holiday in the mix. Police report; Chief Jerry Hudgens presented his first year report as Chief of the Caruthersville Police Department. Focus has been on strengthening the department, improving public safety, and enhancing service to the community. Personnel & Staffing/ Successfully retained all existing personnel, with one exception. Hired eight new officers, and are fully staffed for the first time in several years. Two of the new hires were sent to the Academy to receive the necessary training and certification. There has been an additional SRO added to have better relationships and coverage of the schools. Page 886 Department Achievements/The department responded to over 8,000 calls for service. Officers made countless traffic stops, issued citations, made arrests, and seized illegal drugs and firearms. There have been 1,484 reports entered, resulting from citations or the filing of charges. Stolen property was recovered, and they’re working diligently to return assets to the rightful owners. They have worked to build stronger relationships with residents through open communication. The department is also working on improving response time, patrol coverage, and officer training. Future Goals/Continued recruitment and retention, provide ongoing professional development, expand outreach efforts and collaborations with residents, businesses, and local organizations. Fire report; Chief Lynn Moss reported 11 fire calls as follows: 3/19/25; Rabbit cage on fire on West 10th St., 3/19/25; Field on fire on S Ward Ave., 3/21/25; Field on fire on Rt. U & County Rd 506, 3/25/25; Limb pile on fire on S Ward Ave., 3/25/25; Tree on fire on East 14th St., 3/26/25; Grass fire on State Hwy D, 3/26/25; Controlled burn, traffic hazard on State Hwy D, 3/26/25; Grass fire on County Rd 553, 3/28/25; Grass fire at I55 Mile Marker 5.4, 3/30/25; Vehicle fire on I55 Mile Marker 13.6., 4/1/25; Structure fire on Marlar Dr. Chief Moss recommended purchasing a COBRA firework firing system for a one-time fee of $5,746.18, which would enhance the experience and safety. Councilperson Grable motion for approval, second by Councilperson Fales, which resulted in the following vote: Grable Yes Hood Yes Robinson Yes Glass Yes Bullington Yes Fales Yes Mayor Grantham entertained a motion to have the fireworks display on July 3, 2025. Councilperson Fales made the motion, second by Councilperson Hood, with all in favor. The fireworks display price will be the same as last year $7,250.00, which was budgeted for. Code Enforcement; Barry Gilmore report is as follows: Mr. Gilmore attended the Belle-Fountain Ditch project. The Corps of Engineers are going to be cleaning the ditch, known as the Brown Shoe ditch. The project will begin at the Arkansas line and work back towards Caruthersville with a Completion date of Summer of 2026. Most of April has been spent cleaning storm drains and preparing for rain. Demolition of 1110 Beckwith will commence April 10, 2025, with cleaning the entire property of under growth, trash, and house. Looking at digging out intersection at 13th and Ward to see what’s causing the leak. Replacing meter boxes in England Park, and will be repairing two street repairs on Walker. Received parts for the system repair for the Waste Water Plant, some of the bulbs were broken, and a claim will be filed. An electric meter loop was replace on one of the airport hangers, and are close to having the new card reader installed. A pump was pulled a few months ago that was inoperable, there’s still one in place but the broken one will need to be fixed. Construction has begun on Sonic; received paperwork from the architect, and will be meeting with the contractor early in the week. Parks & Recreation; Lamonte Bell reported the Wrestling Match was a success. Councilperson Bullingtion made mention that she had talked to Wayne Smith and Chris Crysler about the pickleball courts plans, and specs, they will be reaching out to John Chittenden.  Page 887 Library report; Tacara Sullivan reported that she was continuing to work on her calendar of events, and that Lincoln University would be having an event Saturday a “Gardening Affair” from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Tuesday April 15, 2025 is the Easter Story Tjme and Egg Hunt from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., please bring Easter baskets. There’s an Art Class (Adult) April 28, 2025 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., which costs $20.00. Art Class for middle and high schoolers will take place April 11, 2025 and May 9, 2025 $10.00/session from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Panels that were stored away for the fencing was found, and it looks like the materials are there to construct the fence. Counselor Dorroh will be looking into the claim process with a police report being filed. City Collector; Paige Gillock collections report from March 1, 2025 through March 31, 2025 is as follows: Real Estate $6,310.57 Personal Property $1,637.60 Drainage Districts $225.46 Miscellaneous $812.50 Total Taxes $7,972.40 Interest & Fees $1,013.73 Total Collections $8,986.13. Jack Davis with Fiber Optic talked about how they had invested a half million dollars into the business district for the fiber optic network in which the CDBG grant didn’t cover. At this time they’re working on splicing which should be completed by June 1, 2025. Next week businesses will be ready for installation. The residents will be ready the last of month or first of June, once CDBG signs off on everything and service will be available for fiber. Business From the Floor; Davida Nelums inquired about the drainage on the corner of 14th & Franklin. Once the City crew had cleaned out the culvert it started draining properly, but now it’s clogged up again. The corner of 12th & Franklin is concreted sloped, and grated which protects the culvert. Ms. Nelums wanted to know if the same could occur at 14th & Franklin. Mayor Grantham stated that it would be looked into. Councilperson Hood motion to go into closed session for the purpose of policy, second by Councilperson Fales, which resulted in the following vote: Grable Yes Hood Yes Robinson Yes Glass Yes Bullington Yes Fales Yes Upon returning from closed session, Mayor Grantham entertained a motion for approval of the reappointment of Housing Authority Board members Rick Young, James Adams, and Jenny Middleton. Councilperson Bullington motion for approval, second by Councilperson Hood, with all in favor. Mayor Grantham also entertained a motion to approve Lillie Wilburn appointment to the vacant seat of the Library Board. Councilperson Hood motion for approval, second by Councilperson Robinson, with all in favor. With no further business to come before the Council, Councilperson Hood motion to adjourn, second by Councilperson Robinson, with all in favor. ATTEST: ________________________________ Mayor ________________________________ City Clerk